What is Palliative Care? Palliative care is specialized care provided for a person with a chronic illness. The purpose of palliative care is to reduce the symptoms and stress associated with the illness. It is appropriate for people with heart disease, lung disease, neurological diseases, dementia, cancer, and other conditions that negatively impact quality of life. Palliative care is designed to help people have a longer and happier life by controlling symptoms and providing support.
What’s the Difference between Palliative Care and Hospice? Palliative care is often confused with hospice care, but there are important differences. Hospice is for people with a terminal illness. Hospice provides end of life care to alleviate suffering when there is no chance of cure. Palliative care can be given at any time during an illness and is not reserved for those with a poor prognosis. In fact, it can be useful even in the early stages of a chronic illness.
How does Palliative Care Improve Quality of Life? With palliative care, the focus is on providing relief of pain and other troubling symptoms, as well as meeting your emotional, spiritual, and practical needs. Palliative care specialists will help you understand all of your treatment options and help you to better manage your illness.
How do I know if I Need Palliative Care? If you answer “yes” to more than one of these questions, palliative care may be a good option for you.
Do you have 1 or more chronic or serious illnesses?
Do you have symptoms that make it hard to be as active as you used to be or that negatively impact your quality of life?
Have you experienced difficult side effects from treatment of your illness or eating problems due to your illness?
Have you had frequent visits to the emergency room or been hospitalized 3 or more times in the past year with the same symptoms?
Do you need help understanding the pros and cons of treatment options or knowing what programs and resources are available?
Do you or a loved one need help coping with the stress of your illness or need emotional support?